Dental disease affects the majority of dogs over three years of age, causing chronic pain that is frequently unrecognised by owners, making prevention through daily tooth brushing a critical welfare practice.
Dog dental disease welfare suffers from a fundamental recognition problem: dogs experiencing chronic dental pain rarely show obvious signs. They continue eating, may chew food differently, and owners understandably assume absence of complaint means absence of pain. Veterinary research consistently finds severe dental disease with mobile teeth, gum recession, and root exposure causing constant low-grade to moderate pain in dogs that appear normal. Daily tooth brushing from puppyhood, combined with regular veterinary dental assessment, dramatically reduces disease progression. Professional dental scaling under anaesthesia treats established disease but does not prevent recurrence without ongoing home care. The welfare investment in daily brushing is small relative to the chronic suffering it prevents.